Chapter 18: What A Weird Kink

Ryu Seo-woo narrowed his eyes at Han Si-hyun, watching the assistant's reaction like a hawk. The man was nervous.

He should be.

Today was the day that Han Si-hyun would betray Lee Hye-sung by stealing the main track of Lighthouse's comeback song, something Hye-sung had poured his heart and soul into composing.

Seo-woo originally thought of simply giving Hye-sung an original song to replace it. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized that it was a terrible idea.

It would only make Hye-sung feel inferior as if Seo-woo was boasting that his songs were better.

No.

If he wanted to protect Hye-sung, Seo-woo needed to expose Han Si-hyun as a traitor—and do it with undeniable proof.

The moment Han Si-hyun walked in, his face stiffened at the sight of Choi Min-ho sitting in the living room.

Seo-woo saw it.

Bingo.

Han Si-hyun hadn't expected the CEO of Dawn Entertainment to be here. He must have planned to steal the track in secret, but with Choi Min-ho present, the risk was too high.

Seo-woo bit back a smirk.

He had just come up with the perfect strategy—using Choi Min-ho's presence to corner Han Si-hyun.

If Choi Min-ho stayed longer, Han Si-hyun wouldn't have dared to act.

And if Seo-woo played his cards right, he might even be able to force Han Si-hyun to expose himself.

Seo-woo chuckled under his breath, pleased with his own plan.

But just as he was mentally patting himself on the back for being a genius—

Choi Min-ho stood up.

"I'll be going now."

Seo-woo panicked.

NO. NO. NO.

If Choi Min-ho left now, Han Si-hyun would steal the track as planned!

Before he could think, Seo-woo lunged forward and grabbed Choi Min-ho's wrist.

Silence.

Choi Min-ho froze mid-step.

Han Si-hyun's eyebrows shot up.

Lee Hye-sung looked like he was about to faint.

Seo-woo's brain finally caught up with what his body had just done.

Oh. Oh no.

Slowly... very slowly, Choi Min-ho turned his head to look at Seo-woo.

His dark, piercing eyes locked onto him with pure intimidation.

Seo-woo felt an actual chill run down his spine.

"What... do you think you're doing?" Min-ho's voice was dangerously low.

Seo-woo gulped.

It suddenly dawned on him that grabbing a powerful CEO like this was probably not his best idea.

But then—

Han Si-hyun spoke up.

"C-CEO, you must be busy. You shouldn't waste your time here."

Seo-woo snapped his head toward Han Si-hyun.

Oh, shut up, you snake.

Seo-woo rolled his eyes so hard, he nearly saw the future.

"Oh, shut up."

Han Si-hyun flinched at Seo-woo's bluntness.

Lee Hye-sung looked like he wanted the floor to swallow him whole.

Lee Hye-sung quickly stepped between them, his face pale with fear.

"Bi-yong! What are you doing?! Why are you stopping the CEO?!"

Choi Min-ho raised an eyebrow, his gaze flickering between Seo-woo's hand still clutching his wrist, and Seo-woo's completely unapologetic face.

"Earlier, you said I was an uninvited guest wasting Hye-sung's time," Choi Min-ho said, voice laced with amusement.

"And now, you're telling me to stay?"

Seo-woo's brain short-circuited.

Oh no, he got me there.

Choi Min-ho tilted his head, his smirk widening as if he was thoroughly enjoying Seo-woo's suffering.

"Make up your mind, little helper."

Seo-woo scrambled to think of a response, but his brain was currently buffering at 2% speed.

Then—

Lightbulb moment.

"Earlier, you told me that you were looking for someone. Who were you looking for?" Seo-woo became energetic and asked Choi Min-ho

Choi Min-ho was confused about this little helper's motive, but he replied honestly, "I was looking for Bi-yong who tried to collaborate with my ex-employee", and turned to Hye-sung.

Hye-sung flinched at the CEO's dangerous stare.

Seo-woo suddenly grinned like a madman and pointed at himself.

Choi Min-ho's expression darkened.

"What."

Lee Hye-sung, now sweating profusely, hesitated before nervously answering.

"C-CEO... Th-this little helper is... uh... B-Bi-yong."

Min-ho's entire body stiffened.

The room fell into a suffocating silence.

Han Si-hyun looked like he had just witnessed a murder.

Lee Hye-sung looked like he was praying to every god in existence.

Choi Min-ho, meanwhile, was staring at Seo-woo as he had just grown a second head.

"Come again?" Min-ho's voice was so low, that Seo-woo almost regretted being born.

Seo-woo smiled wider.

"I'm Bi-yong."

Choi Min-ho: Processing...

Han Si-hyun: Crisis mode activated.

Lee Hye-sung: Dear God, take me now.

Ryu Seo-woo: Hehe, nailed it.

And with that...

Seo-woo's plan was officially in motion.

---

Choi Min-ho leaned back in his chair, arms crossed as he stared at Seo-woo with an amused smirk.

"So, Bi-yong..." Min-ho's voice was low and sharp, like a blade testing the edge of its prey. "Why did you lie about your identity?"

Seo-woo, still shaken from his own ridiculous scheme, rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Well, you see..." He avoided eye contact for a second before glancing up with a teasing grin. "It's because your cold stare scared me. I thought you were a ghost haunting me or something."

Choi Min-ho blinked.

Then, slowly, he raised an eyebrow.

"A ghost?"

Seo-woo nodded dramatically, pressing his hands to his chest like he was genuinely traumatized.

"Yes, CEO-nim, you should really work on that face of yours. Relax a little! Maybe smile once in a while—make yourself more pleasing to the human race!"

Lee Hye-sung nearly choked on his tea.

Kang Eun-jae and Jang Yu-ki froze mid-bite.

Han Si-hyun, already pale, looked like he was watching a man dig his own grave.

And Choi Min-ho?

...Choi Min-ho smirked.

Oh, no.

That was worse than him getting mad.

"You're quite bold, aren't you?" Choi Min-ho mused, resting his chin on his hand as he stared down at Seo-woo like a cat toying with a mouse. "Interesting. I think I like you."

Silence.

The entire room stopped functioning for a moment.

Lee Hye-sung's eyes twitched.

Kang Eun-jae gasped.

Jang Yu-ki covered his mouth, his shoulders shaking like he was desperately trying not to laugh.

Ryu Seo-woo?

Seo-woo just froze like someone had dumped a bucket of cold water over him.

"W-Wait, hold on, what do you mean by that?" Seo-woo stammered, his ears turning red.

Choi Min-ho simply gave him a knowing smirk before turning back to his food.

Meanwhile, Han Si-hyun, who had been nervously silent this entire time, looked like he was about to pass out.

Despite the awkward tension that Seo-woo absolutely did not cause, lunch was finally served.

Seo-woo had prepared Doenjang Jjigae, a rich and flavorful soybean paste stew.

The moment the first spoonful touched their tongues, the vocal duo moaned in delight.

"Bi-yong, this is amazing!" Kang Eun-jae beamed.

"Are you sure you're not secretly a chef?" Jang Yu-ki teased.

Seo-woo tried not to look too proud but failed miserably as he blushed a little.

Even Choi Min-ho, who rarely praised anything, simply nodded in approval. That alone made Seo-woo feel like he had just won an Olympic medal.

But then—

He noticed Han Si-hyun barely touching his food.

The assistant was poking at his stew with a spoon, looking paler than usual.

Seo-woo squinted. Hmm... suspicious.

"Si-hyun-ssi, what's wrong?" Seo-woo tilted his head innocently. "You don't like the food? You look like someone forced you to eat poison."

Han Si-hyun waved a hand quickly, his expression forced. "No, no! I just... my stomach was upset earlier."

Seo-woo smirked.

"Ohhh... I get it."

Han Si-hyun blinked. "Huh?"

"It's because your stomach is full of butterflies, right?" Seo-woo grinned.

Silence.

Lee Hye-sung coughed violently.

Choi Min-ho stared blankly.

Kang Eun-jae choked on his rice.

Jang Yu-ki had to turn his head because he was laughing too hard.

Han Si-hyun, completely thrown off, looked like he had just been electrocuted.

"W-WHAT?!"

Seo-woo innocently sipped his soup. "I mean, you look really nervous, like someone who's in love. Who are you thinking about?"

Han Si-hyun's face went stiff.

"N-No one!" he stammered, standing up too fast. "I—I need fresh air!"

And with that, he rushed out the back door like his life depended on it.

Seo-woo's eyes narrowed.

Ah-ha. Caught you, you little snake.

Seo-woo pretended to 'forget something' in the bathroom and excused himself.

But instead of going to the bathroom, he tiptoed toward the back door, his heart pounding.

Peeking around the corner, he spotted Han Si-hyun talking anxiously on his phone.

"Have you stolen the track yet?" a voice from the other end asked.

Han Si-hyun nervously bit his fingernail. "No. I—I couldn't. Your CEO is here." He added, "That Bi-yong is getting to my nerves, he was the one who forced the CEO to stay. What a broom star!"

Seo-woo froze.

Wait. What? Are you calling me a broom star? What the heck?

"Tsk. Why is he there? Be calm and don't argue with some insignificant people"

"I don't know! But I can't take the file while he's here watching everything."

Seo-woo's brain exploded.

Hold up. The guy on the other end... is someone from Choi Min-ho's company?! He called me insignificant.

Seo-woo's blood was boiling

Just as he was about to move closer—

A hand suddenly grabbed his wrist.

Seo-woo sucked in a breath and turned.

Choi Min-ho.

Oh, crap.

The CEO looked down at him, unamused.

"What do we have here?" Min-ho whispered, his voice dangerously low.

Seo-woo panicked.

"CEO-nim—wait, wait, wait! I can explain—!"

Choi Min-ho tilted his head. "Are you into this kind of thing?"

Seo-woo blinked. "Huh?"

"Secretly listening in on people... is that a kink of yours?" Min-ho smirked.

Seo-woo short-circuited.

"EXCUSE ME?!—"

Seo-woo almost yelled, but he quickly clamped his mouth shut, remembering they were still hiding.

Han Si-hyun was only a few feet away.

Seo-woo glared at Min-ho. "The suspicious one is him, not me."

Choi Min-ho just gave him an unreadable look... and then...

He leaned closer.

"Fine," Choi Min-ho murmured. "Let's hear him out."

Seo-woo's eyes widened.

Was Choi Min-ho actually joining in on the eavesdropping?!

Just then—

Han Si-hyun let out a relieved sigh.

"I have an idea. Call the CEO and tell him to return to the company. He'll leave for sure."

Seo-woo's breath hitched.

Choi Min-ho, however, didn't react. He just listened, expression unreadable.

Suddenly—

THUMP.

Seo-woo had stepped on something. His foot slipped. He stumbled backward. Right into Choi Min-ho's arms. Choi Min-ho caught him effortlessly, his hand gripping Seo-woo's waist.

Both of them froze.

Han Si-hyun suddenly turned. "Who's there?!"

A cat jumped onto the wall.

Han Si-hyun sighed. "Just a cat..."

Seo-woo broke free from Min-ho's grip, flustered. "Uh. Thanks."

Choi Min-ho, still staring at his own hand that had held Seo-woo's waist, simply said:

"You're clumsy."

They returned to the table as if nothing happened. But Seo-woo knew better than everyone here who was the traitor so he just accused him with the recording.

And when Choi Min-ho suddenly received a call, Ryu Seo-woo and Han Si-hyun both turned their gaze to him.

Something was about to go down.

---o---

"Little Theatre"

Ryu Seo-woo: "CEO-nim, may I listen to your conversation? This is a matter of life and death."

CEO Choi Min-ho: "What a weird kink!"

Ryu Seo-woo: *dumbfounded* you misunderstood my intention, MIN-not-so-HOt

CEO Choi Min-ho: *smirked*

CEO Moon Woo-seok: "When will I appear in the story again? My wife is gradually snatched by someone else."

Ryu Seo-woo: "Who are you?"